It is a curious fact that most
Christians are taught the seven last things, including the second coming of
Christ and the bodily resurrection of the church -- but are seldom taught why
this is important. The result is that they are convinced that such doctrine
has no practical application in their daily lives -- it’s all “other-worldly.”
Yet, at no time in human history has this doctrine been more practical. The
age in which we live reeks with existential sadness. Consider this incident:
Novelist
Ayn Rand had mesmerized a student audience at Yale University with her prickly
ideas. Afterward a reporter from Time magazine asked her, "Miss Rand,
what's wrong with the modern world?" Without hesitation she replied,
"Never before has the world been so frantically committed to the idea that
no answers are possible. "To paraphrase the bible," she continued,
"The modern attitude is, 'father, forgive us, for we know not what we are
doing -- and please don't tell us!'"
Solomon anticipated this attitude
3,000 years ago in his wisdom writing, the book of Ecclesiastes. We shall see
what he made of the meaninglessness (“no answers are possible”) of life.
The Road Atlas of Folly
The Road of Pleasure
{2:1} I thought in my heart,
"Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good."
But that also proved to be meaningless. {2} "Laughter," I said,
"is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?" {3} I tried cheering
myself with wine, and embracing folly--my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I
wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few
days of their lives. -- Ecclesiastes 2:1-3 (NIV)
The road of pleasure is a four lane freeway in our time. Never before has so
much money been devoted simply to pleasure. Everything from amusement parks to
“adult” nightclubs are in ample supply. But see what Solomon has to say; he has
tried it all. He had the money, the power, and the time to try it all, and he
did. Here are some thoughts:
·
Laughter is foolish - and we hire comedians to make us laugh.
It is no accident that clowns are a diminishing breed, found only in the
antique of the circus, while comedians are everywhere. Comedians are there
only for a laugh; if all you are after is a laugh, then anything and
everything must be funny. That breeds the cynicism which passes for humor
today. But clowns understand that tragedy and comedy are the same art; have
you ever seen Weary Willy (Emmett Kelley) sweep the spotlights together?
·
Pleasure accomplishes nothing. You may have sex with a woman for
twenty years and give her up in a night for a younger woman; if you love a
woman that long, she becomes part of you. This is accomplishment.
·
Finally, there is wine. “A man’s got to believe in something. I
believe I’ll have another drink.” The drunkards of the world are tragic
testimony to those who rely on drink for their meaning.
The Road of Success
{4}
I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards.
{5} I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. {6}
I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. {7} I bought male and
female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more
herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. {8} I amassed silver and
gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and
women singers, and a harem as well--the delights of the heart of man. {9} I
became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom
stayed with me. {10} I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my
heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the
reward for all my labor. {11} Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and
what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the
wind; nothing was gained under the sun.
-- Ecclesiastes 2:4-11 (NIV)
Solomon now tries the way of the
world: the party is over, he will be a “real man,” he will get something
done. This is the way we react as we get a little older. Look at
what he attempts:
·
First, there is accomplishment. It can be small (look at my
garden, my pets, my whatever) or large (my great achievements) -- but in either
case, when it is done, it fails to satisfy. Interestingly, it can provide
great feelings of success along the way. One way to look at it is provided by
Queen Elizabeth: when asked how she remembered the accomplishments of the
dozens of people she knighted at a ceremony one year, she stated simply that
she asked each one, “What will you do next?” The reply never failed to tell
her what they had done, and what they were.
·
Next, there is the joy of “being the boss.” I’m important, I’m
worthwhile, because all these people listen to me and must do what I say.
Perhaps you might recall what you’ve said about all those important people who
were your boss.
·
Finally, there are the rewards of business success: money,
entertainment and sex. I recall one comment from one of my former students who
said that “a man can tell a woman’s bra size with just one glance. And a woman
can tell a man’s wallet size just as fast.” This is success?
It’s interesting to note that all
of these look like success at the time. The sense of accomplishment, of
power, of conquest, all look great. It is only when Solomon “surveyed” all
that he had done that he saw how meaningless it is. One tactic we use with
great success is to refrain from surveying; we let sleeping worms lie.
The Road of Wisdom
{12}
Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom, and also madness and folly. What
more can the king's successor do than what has already been done? {13} I saw
that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness. {14}
The wise man has eyes in his head, while the fool walks in the darkness; but I
came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both. {15} Then I thought in
my heart, "The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain
by being wise?" I said in my heart, "This too is meaningless."
{16} For the wise man, like the fool, will not be long remembered; in days to
come both will be forgotten. Like the fool, the wise man too must die!
-- Ecclesiastes 2:12-16 (NIV)
With a sigh, Solomon gives it
up. Wisdom is better than folly -- indeed, the universe is constructed along
that principle -- but, as John Maynard Keynes once said (when asked what he
meant by “in the long run”) “In the long run, we’re all dead.” So do the best
you can with it, but realize that it’s a losing struggle. One of the most
brilliant philosophers of the twentieth century put it this way:
The life of man is a long march
through the night, surrounded by invisible foes, tortured by weariness and
pain, towards a goal that few can hope to reach and where none can tarry long.
One by one, as they march, our comrades vanish from our sight, seized by the
silent orders of omnipotent death.
Brief
and powerless is man's life, on his and all his race the slow, sure doom falls,
pitiless and dark. Blind to good and evil, reckless of destruction, omnipotent
matter rolls on its relentless way. For man, condemned today to lose his
dearest, tomorrow himself to pass through the gates of darkness, it remains
only to cherish, ere yet the blow falls, the lofty thoughts that ennoble his
little day.
The Existential Conclusion
What is Solomon’s reaction to
this, that wisest of all living?
{17}
So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to
me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. {18} I hated all the
things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who
comes after me. {19} And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet
he will have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and
skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. {20} So my heart began to despair
over all my toilsome labor under the sun.
-- Ecclesiastes 2:17-20 (NIV)
You see the
point? I have to leave my “stuff” to some kid -- and who knows if he’ll even
be smart enough to know what to do with it? (Those who have a sense of
craftsmanship hate to retire). I put out the effort; he gets control of it; I
am in despair.
{21}
For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must
leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless
and a great misfortune. {22} What does a man get for all the toil and anxious
striving with which he labors under the sun?
-- Ecclesiastes 2:21-22 (NIV)
You see the
point? Where do I get my reward? I did all the work, the kid doesn’t
even appreciate it or know what to do with it, and what do I get for it? No
wonder he thinks “all is vanity!” Solomon comes then the conclusion the
existentialists have come to: the “foundation of unyielding despair” that
Russell talked of. Perhaps Shakespeare’s Macbeth said it best:
Life's but a walking
shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour
upon the stage And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full
of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.
Solomon will
not go quite that far. He will give you the best the earth has to offer:
{23}
All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest.
This too is meaningless. {24} A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink
and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God,
{25} for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? {26} To the man who
pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he
gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one
who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
-- Ecclesiastes 2:23-26 (NIV)
You see his
prescription for the best this meaningless life can offer:
·
Be content in what you have to eat and drink (consider the lilies
of the field?). Don’t pursue more; enjoy what you have.
·
Find satisfaction in your work. Neither work to live alone, nor
yet live to work - but be a craftsman who takes pleasure in his
accomplishments.
·
Be pleasing to God, and thus gain wisdom, knowledge and
happiness.
There is the
end of the matter. Life is without hope; make the best of it. So it would
remain, for man’s wisdom alone cannot penetrate this veil. That is why when
Western society rejected God it drove steadily to the conclusion that life is
meaningless. There is no hope -- in man’s wisdom.
My hope
is built on nothing less....
{5}
Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in
God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
-- Psalms 43:5 (NIV)
Against all this despair, the Jew
was taught -- by faith -- to hope in God. The time had not yet arrived with
the answer. Wisdom alone, not enlightened by revelation, cannot penetrate the
mysteries of God. Our society today declares the grave the end -- indeed, some
of us don’t want to find out that we may be mistaken about it:
In a cemetery in Hanover,
Germany, is a grave on which were placed huge slabs of granite and marble
cemented together and fastened with heavy steel clasps. It belongs to a woman
who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. Yet strangely, she directed
in her will that her grave be made so secure that if there were a resurrection,
it could not reach her. On the marker were inscribed these words: "This
burial place must never be opened." In time, a seed, covered by the
stones, began to grow. Slowly it pushed its way through the soil and out from
beneath them. As the trunk enlarged, the great slabs were gradually shifted so
that the steel clasps were wrenched from their sockets. A tiny seed had become
a tree that had pushed aside the stones.
The
dynamic life force contained in that little seed is a faint reflection of the
tremendous power of God's creative word that someday will call to life the
bodies of all who are in their graves. He will also bring back every person
drowned at sea, cremated, or destroyed in some other way. This is no problem to
the one who made something out of nothing when he spoke the universe into
existence.
Indeed, it is well worth
remembering Christ’s funeral sermons. There weren’t any; he specialized in
resurrections.
This is the answer for the
Christian. The grave is not the end -- and therefore life is not meaningless,
but very much given with a purpose, and greatly endowed with hope. What is
that hope?
{13} while we wait for the blessed
hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, --
Titus 2:13 (NIV)
Indeed, the resurrection of the
body provides us with the answer to many of life’s great dilemmas:
All these questions have the
same answer.
·
What is it
that gives a widow courage as she stands beside a fresh grave?
·
What is the
ultimate hope of the cripple, the amputee, the abused, the burn victim?
·
How can the
parents of brain-damaged or physically handicapped children keep from living
their entire lives totally and completely depressed?
·
Why would
anyone who is blind or deaf or paralyzed be encouraged when they think of the
life beyond?
·
How can we
see past the martyrdom of some helpless hostage or devoted missionary?
·
Where do
the thoughts of a young couple go when they finally recover from the grief of
losing their baby?
·
When a
family receives the tragic news that a little daughter was found dead or their
dad was killed in a plane crash or a son overdosed on drugs, what single truth
becomes their whole focus?
·
What is the
final answer to pain, mourning, senility, insanity, terminal diseases, sudden
calamities, and fatal accidents?
By
now you've guessed correctly: the hope of bodily resurrection.
That hope makes life worth
living. Indeed, it makes it worth living in a special way. As the Apostle
John put it,
{2}
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been
made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we
shall see him as he is. {3} Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself,
just as he is pure. -- 1 John 3:2-3 (NIV)
It is coming; are we getting
ready for it? Depend upon it:
{25}
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in
me will live, even though he dies; {26} and whoever lives and believes in me
will never die. Do you believe this?" -- John 11:25-26 (NIV)
If you believe this, what are you
doing about it?
·
Are you living your life for pleasure, or for accomplishment, or
even in “wisdom” -- or are you living it for the Lord, watching for His return?
·
Are you purifying your life, knowing that He will expect return
for the “talents” that he has given you?
·
With whom have you shared the one thing that Christians have and
the world so desperately needs -- the hope in Jesus Christ?